Marchers To Call For No Bedroom Tax Evictions

Campaigners opposed to the Bedroom Tax will march in Leeds this Saturday.

The group Hands Off Our Homes have organised the demonstration and expect 1,000 people to join them. The so-called “Bedroom Tax” is a reduction in Housing Benefit for households who are deemed to have “too many” bedrooms. It will particularly affect disabled people.

The “tax” has been introduced by the government, but will be implemented by Leeds City Council. Demonstrators are calling on the Council and housing associations not to evict people who fall into rent arrears because the Bedroom Tax.

As previously reported on South Leeds Life, Hands Off Our Homes recently held a public meeting in Middleton where Councillor Paul Truswell revealed that Leeds City Council are taking steps to re-designate hundreds of properties to help tenants avoid the tax.

However, it is estimated that 8,000 tenants across the city will be affected. 5,000 of these would need to move to a one bedroom property to avoid the tax, but in the last two years the Council has only let 300 such properties.

Hands Off Our Homes are calling for people who oppose the Bedroom Tax to join them. Marchers will be meeting outside Leeds City Art Gallery at 12:00 noon on Saturday. The demonstration promises to be family friendly and will be accompanied by musicians and feature a “kids bloc”.